In memory of shooting victims in the city and beyond, Milwaukee is joining other cities in lighting up downtown buildings tonight in orange.
“We stand together against all deadly violence, particularly hateful violence,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said in a statement Tuesday.
“This is both an expression of unity and a call for action. There is work ahead for all of us to end the killings.”
Participating in tonight's lighting – which will be begin around dusk (sunset is at 8:10 p.m.) – are Fiserv Forum, American Family Field, Light The Hoan, The Pfister Hotel, Gas Light Building, Pritzlaff Building, MGIC, GRAEF, Milwaukee County Historical Society, Discovery World, 600 EAST, Schlitz Park and Milwaukee Downtown BID # 21’s MKE lights.
Johnson has also ordered the sculpture outside the south entrance to City Hall also to be lit as part of the remembrance.
At City Hall, the sculpture outside the south entrance – Tony Cragg's 18-foot-tall "Mixed Feelings" – will also be illuminated in orange.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
